As we all know, Dr Amalina Che Bakri, a Malaysian doctor based in the United Kingdom, recently gave birth. The news of the baby girl’s birth, Arabella Mia, has been the talk of the town. Not just that, Dr Amalina also posted some photos on Instagram of her baby having a stroll with her at just 4 days old.
Some people, especially Malaysians might say that 4 days after giving birth is too early to go for a walk. In the Malaysian community, women who just gave birth should go through confinement for 44 days straight. But not for Dr Amalina. Some of her followers were amazed by her strengths and asked her for some tips after giving birth.
Let’s go through Dr Amalina’s postpartum care tips. The tips given are based on scientific research from obstetrics and her own experience as a doctor.
Postpartum Care Tips
1) Eat healthily. Make sure to eat vegetables and fruits. Reduce the intake of salt, sugar, and oil in food. Moreover, to keep an ideal weight, do not eat too much. If you do not have any allergies, you do not have to stop eating eggs, chicken, etc.
2) Drink plain water 2-3 litres a day. Besides that, reduce the intake of sweet drinks like milo, boba, etc.
3) Make sure not to lift anything heavier than a baby for six weeks. Nevertheless, you may increase the intensity of your daily activities gradually.
4) If you do not have any complications when giving birth, you may start doing some light exercises whenever you are ready. For instance, you can begin to walk to prevent blood clots. Aside from that, you can do pelvic floor exercises and stomach exercises. Heavy exercises like running or aerobics are highly encouraged to do after six months of giving birth. If the bleeding (lochia) is found to change colours (becoming pink or red) after doing exercises, you may have overdone the exercise. Due to that, you are required to have as much rest as you need. In addition to that, do wear compression stockings.
5) Take care of the perineum. Wash it with clean water every day.
6) Furthermore, make sure to change maternity pads every three to four hours. If you gave birth by caesarean section, make sure to clean your wound to dry every day.
7) Next, wear loose clothes which are made from cotton.
8) Make sure to take medication like paracetamol/ibuprofen that is safe for breastfeeding.
9) Take care of your hygiene and take a shower every day.
10) Take laxatives to prevent constipation.
11) Wait for six weeks after birth or until the bleeding (lochia) stops to have sexual intercourse.
12) Take care of your mental health. Enjoy motherhood! To husbands and family members, please give love and support to the baby’s mother.
A bit of advice from Dr Amalina
Dr Amalina also advised women out there to always take care of their health, and not just after birth! Make sure to follow Dr Amalina on Instagram for more health information.
Source: Instagram Dr. Amalina Che Bakri